Report: Jets among 4 finalists for Kirk Cousins

The Jets are expected to be one of four finalists for Kirk Cousins, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Free agency has yet to officially begin, but Schefter reports that Denver, Arizona and Minnesota will join New York as serious suitors for the quarterback. Free agency officially begins March 14, but teams have a two-day negotiating period before that.

The final four teams expected to be vying for free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins are the Broncos, Cardinals, Jets and Vikings, per league sources.

The list of teams expected to be in on Cousins should come as no surprise.

Denver and Minnesota are considered the most immediate contenders hoping to land Cousins, while the Jets have the most money to spend among those interested. Arizona is an interesting option following Carson Palmer’s retirement, but Larry Fitzgerald apparently made a strong recruiting pitch recently.

While the Jets may not be able to boast about recent playoff success or a future Hall of Fame wide receiver, they do have more than money to offer Cousins.

Despite coming off back to back 5-11 seasons, New York has an up and coming roster that should be able to contend for a wild card with the addition of Cousins alone. With more than $90 million in cap space, however, the quarterback will not be their only signing this offseason.

There is also offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates, whom Cousins has revealed himself to be a big fan of in recent weeks.

While the Jets may be a finalist, don’t expect Cousins to make a hasty decision. According to Pro Football Talk, the free agent doesn’t plan on deciding during the two-day negotiating window.

If Gang Green misses out on Cousins, there will be other options. With the sixth pick in the draft, the Jets can use a deep class of quarterbacks as a fallback option. There are also a number of second-tier free agents, like Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater.

That said, it’s clear who the Jets want the most. Now they just have to win the bidding war that’s about to ensue.

Email

Like this article?

Sign up for the Jets Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning

An error has occured

Please re-enter your email address.

Thanks for signing up!

You'll now receive the top Jets Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.